Known image recording apparatuses include those provided with a functional feature of printing a borderless image on the entire surface of a recording sheet according to print data (borderless recording or borderless printing). Borderless recording is a printing process in which a region where an image is to be recorded on a recording sheet is set to be larger than a recording area of the recording sheet and ink is ejected to an area including the outside of the recording sheet.
A dot recording apparatus as described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-103586 has a platen extending in the moving direction of the recording head of the apparatus. The platen is arranged at a position in confrontation with the recording head of the apparatus with the conveying path, along which a recording sheet is conveyed, and which is interposed between the platen and the head. A groove is formed on part of the upper surface of the platen so as to extend in the moving direction of the recording head. The groove is arranged at a position in confrontation with part of nozzles of the recording head. An absorbent member is arranged on the bottom of the groove. Part of the nozzles of the recording head is employed when the dot recording apparatus is operated for borderless recording. As described above, a groove is formed in the platen that is located in confrontation with the part of the nozzles. Since the ink that does not hit the recording sheet is absorbed by the absorbent member, the ink is prevented from adhering to the upper surface of the platen in the borderless recording operation.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-26148 discloses an information processing terminal for generating print data for borderless recording. The information processing terminal generates print data for borderless recording of a size that includes the recording surface of a recording sheet that is used in a printing apparatus and transmits the print data to the printing apparatus.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-10239 describes a laser printer provided with a contact image sensor (CIS) for detecting the recording sheet on the conveying path for conveying recording sheets. The laser printer uses detection results of the CIS to detect the positions of the front edge and the side edges of the recording sheet and the extent of obliqueness of the recording sheet and to control the operation of forming an image on the photosensitive belt of the apparatus by means of a laser beam.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-81687 describes an inkjet recording apparatus having a carriage that is provided with a recording head mounted thereon and a photosensor. The photosensor includes a light emitting element for irradiating light onto the conveying path of recording sheets and a light receiving element for detecting reflected light. The inkjet recording apparatus determines whether the object located below the recording head is a recording sheet or the platen according to the quantity of light detected by the light receiving element. Then, the inkjet recording apparatus allows ejection of ink onto a region where a recording sheet exists but prohibits ejection of ink onto a region where a recording sheet does not exist. With this configuration, when the recording sheet moves obliquely, the apparatus prevents ink from being wasted.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-169777 discloses a printing control apparatus that processes image data inputted to the printing control apparatus so as to enlarge the size of the image of the image data by resolution conversion and generates print data for borderless recording. The printing control apparatus partitions the image of the image data into a central region and a peripheral region. Then, the printing control apparatus processes the pixel data corresponding to the central region so as not to enlarge the size of the image of the central region but processes the pixel data corresponding to the peripheral region so as to enlarge the size of the image of the peripheral region. Thus, since only the pixel data of the image data that correspond to the peripheral region are processed for enlargement, the image of an object is prevented from being deteriorated when the apparatus generates print data for borderless recording.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-22210 describes a recording apparatus having a carriage designed to reciprocate in a direction orthogonal to a conveying direction along which recording sheets are conveyed. The carriage is provided with a recording head for ejecting ink onto a recording sheet and a sheet detecting sensor for detecting a recording sheet. For borderless recording, the sheet detecting sensor detects the positions of the side edges of the recording sheet in a main scanning direction. Then, the recording apparatus determines a starting position for the recording head to start ejecting ink and an ending position for the recording head to end ejecting ink in the main scanning direction based on the detected positions of the side edges. When the recording sheet is detected to be moving obliquely by the sheet detecting sensor, the starting position and the ending position are extended outwardly in the main scanning direction.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,840,691 and 7,018,009 (corresponding to Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-112416) disclose a technique of recording an image by ejecting ink from part of the nozzles of the recording head for an upstream end part and a downstream end part of a recording sheet in a conveying direction and ejecting ink from all the nozzles of the recording head for the remaining region of the recording sheet.